South Plains cotton farmers may abandon 40 percent of crop

Robert Burns, Texas AgriLife

Tue, 2013-08-06 16:35

Persistent drought, cool spring weather, a late start, and late freezes may be offest partially by more favorable growing conditions for South Plains cotton in July, but abandonment rate will still approach 40 percent.

Abandoning a crop after nurturing it through early-season difficulties and after investing significant amounts of money into production is never easy but a 40 percent abandonment for Texas Southern Plains cotton growers may not be as bad as many expected.

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A Texas AgriLife Extension cotton specialist says problems early in the season, including a cool spring and a slow start, late freezes and continuation of a long period of drought set the crop up for an even worse outlook. Some timely rains and moderate temperatures in July seem to have helped prospects considerably.

Robert Burns, Texas AgriLife media, has the full story. Read the latest Texas crop update here.